From Snapchat to the Supreme Court: @KenPaulson1 is available to comment on Mahony Area School District v. B.L.

Ken Paulson, director of the Free Speech Center, at Middle Tennessee State University, is available to provide expertise on how First Amendment rights apply to social media.  

On Mahony Area School District v. B.L., for which arguments are on Wednesday, April 28, Paulson says  “Freedom of Speech is not something awarded with a high school diploma. These are citizens with a right to speak out about the operations of a public school, and the U.S. Supreme Court has the opportunity to make that clear.”

Paulson’s op-ed “Cheerleader case could bolster – or damage – students’ speech rights” is available for reprint.

Paulson is former editor-in-chief of USA Today, where he remains a columnist writing about First Amendment and media issues. He founded the Free Speech Center at MTSU in 2019. He was executive director of the First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt University and served as the center’s president and CEO before that. 

Paulson speaks widely on First Amendment issues and has been quoted extensively in media outlets including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA TODAY, ESPN, CBS Evening News and Newsweek. 

Paulson has testified before Congress as a First Amendment expert. He has a juris doctorate and is a member of both the Illinois and Florida bars.

Throughout his career, Paulson has drawn on his background as a journalist and lawyer, serving as editor or managing editor of newspapers in five states. He was on the team of journalists who founded USA Today before moving on to manage newsrooms in N.Y., Wis., N.J., Fla., and finally USA TODAY.